The Los Angeles Lakers seem to be following in the footsteps of the OKC Thunder as far as summer spending sprees are concerned, as it was announced on Saturday that the franchise has extended superstar Luka Doncic to a three-year, $165 million max contract.
With this move, it now locks the All-World talent into LA's plans through at least the summer of 2028, where he holds a player option for the third and final season.
In turn, his stay with the Lakers serves as assurance that the ball club will remain a formidable foe of Oklahoma City's for at least the next few years.
However, this is by no means the most concerning possible ripple effect from Doncic's deal. Instead, it's the fact that the idea of LeBron James jumping ship and joining forces with the Denver Nuggets now seems to be the most plausible that it's ever been.
Biggest Thunder foe adding LeBron James now becomes more realistic
For months now, it has been widely believed that the 2025-26 season would be LeBron's final go-around with Los Angeles. This extension of Doncic and their subsequent commitment to making him the focal point of their current and future agenda only strengthens this belief.
Because of this speculation, fans and media pundits have been running rampant over where the forward's next stop could wind up being -- after all, despite the fact that he's 40 years old, James is coming off his 21 All-NBA season and finished sixth in the running for MVP in 2024-25.
Clearly, the man still has plenty left in the tank.
While some have noted that a return to either Cleveland or Miami could be in the cards, based on recent behind-the-scenes meet-ups with Misko Raznatovic, Nikola Jokic's agent, the rumor mill has added the idea of the future Hall of Famer heading out to the Mile High City and joining up with the Denver Nuggets into its circulation.
Already, Denver was considered to be the biggest threat to the dynasty pursuit of this Thunder team, with Lu Dort going as far as to say they were the only club "that had us shaking" during their 2025 NBA Championship run.
With their full-out role player renovation this summer with the additions of Cameron Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, and Tim Hardaway Jr., the Nuggets have set themselves up to be even more of a challenge to Oklahoma City's repeat claim.
Adding LeBron James into the mix, be it this coming year or for the 2026-27 campaign, would only make the path to getting back to the mountain top all the more harrowing.
While all this is still mere postulation at this point in time, the Lakers' decision to fully commit to Doncic makes the concept of James departing from the franchise and looking for a new home all the more realistic.
Should setting himself up for his best shot at another NBA title be his top priority, teaming up with Jokic on the Nuggets may be the most logical option.